Why the Cubs didn’t trade Marcus Stroman, explained

The Cubs didn’t trade ace Marcus Stroman before Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, and there’s a good reason why they changed course. 

It wasn’t too long ago that the Chicago Cubs appeared to be surefire sellers at the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline. And at the heart of those rumors and discussions was staff ace Marcus Stroman.

Stroman is nearing the end of his second season of a three-year contract with the Cubs. The important factor, however, is that he has a player option for the 2024 season, one that most around MLB expect he will not exercise, thus making him a free agent and effectively an expiring contract for the Cubs.

But plans changed in Chicago. Instead of trading Stroman (or Cody Bellinger for that matter), they were actually buyers at the deadline, adding another big bat in Jeimer Candelario.

Why the switch, though? Why did the Cubs not end up trading Stroman when they risk losing him this offseason in free agency for nothing? There’s a good reason for that — or several, actually.

Why the Cubs didn’t trade Marcus Stroman at the deadline

For starters, the shift in the Cubs’ trade deadline mentality comes down to the fact that they have vaulted back into playoff contention. Coming into Tuesday’s game against the Reds, Chicago had won eight of their last nine games and closed the gap in the NL Central to just 5.0 games and only 4.0 games in the wild card. That in itself caused a shift from sellers to buyers.

Moreover, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer spoke with Jesse Rogers of ESPN after the deadline passed about the shift in mentality. He noted that, even when it seemed as if Chicago was planning to sell and even having conversations, other executives and front offices told him that they were still in it and should be buying. Hoyer also estimated that he and his peers were effectively fence-sitting, leading them to ultimately pick a side.

All told, it’s not a complex reason for the Cubs not trading Marcus Stroman. At one point, they looked like they might fall out of the playoff race. But since things have turned around, they are in the hunt and Stroman is an arm who can help the club climb all the way into either a wild card spot or a division crown.

In the long run, we’ll have to wait and see if it was the right call. Where the Cubs are now, however, it does feel like they made the best decision.